My latest book, Summer of Hope, Summer of Dreams, was launched yesterday! (see sidebar to the right to purchase–yes, a self-serving plug, there). The book was just put out for public consumption, but it was a long time in the making–made even longer due to some delays beyond my control. The title is a metaphor for the subject matter of the book, and is a play on a Springsteen song title, Land of Hope and Dreams–also in the book.

I grew up in a small steel town in West Virginia and was a rabid Bruce Springsteen fan (still am, of course). A common theme running through almost every one of his songs is that of keeping hope and having faith. Although confronted by what seems like a dead-end–in your hometown, or in your relationships, or in the despair of a post-9/11 America–Springsteen sings about the light at the end of the tunnel. He reasons that in the most trying of times, even though despair threatens to overtake you, keeping your dreams alive, and allowing yourself to hope and have faith that it will be so, will get you through your darkest of days. As it is in Summer of Hope, Summer of Dreams.

Becoming an author is a dream come true for me. Sheer blind faith led me to where I am in my writing today (see the connection?). Summer of Hope, Summer of Dreams is my latest baby, and it was a true labor of love. I hope you will read it. I hope you will enjoy it. And to that end, I hope that when you finish it, you will feel that sense, as I have since my childhood, that we can have faith in our dreams coming true.